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"afflictions", "the cross", "contradiction" and "chastening" (Heb. 10: 32; 12: 2, 3, 7).
Patience "waits" (Rom. 8: 25) and patience is closely allied with "hope". The apostle
speaks of "the patience of hope" in the same way that he speaks of "the work of faith"
(I Thess. 1: 3), and if James is right when he declares that "faith" without its consequent
"works" is dead, it follows that "hope" cannot be severed from "patience".
It will be observed that we have moved somewhat from the idea of patience being
quiet, uncomplaining submission, to a submission (quiet or complaining as the case may
be) that has hope in view and accordingly waits in expectation. When we turn to the
book of Job we find that the A.V. does not use the word "patience" or "patient", neither is
there any Hebrew word that must necessarily be so translated. When we read in
Psalm. 40: 1, "I waited patiently" the margin instructs us that the original reads "in
waiting I waited", and the only other occurrence of the word "patient" in the O.T. is in
Eccles. 7: 8, where the word means "slow", as in "slow to anger" or "to prolong" as
one's days. While there is no actual word that can be translated "patient" in the book of
Job, there are a number of occurrences in the LXX version which must not be neglected,
and if we give these our consideration we may perceive a little more clearly "the patience
of Job" as James intended. Upon examination we find that the LXX uses the word
hupomeno thirteen times and hupomone once, making fourteen in all. These thirteen
occurrences of the verb translate eight different Hebrew words and the one occurrence of
the noun, of course, translates one Hebrew word. These Hebrew words have a wide
variety of significance and we shall understand the meaning of "patience" as applied to
Job if we exercise a little of that quality while we examine these different references and
note their bearing upon the matter before us. Let us take them in the order of
occurrences.
Job 3: 9.
"Let it look for light but have none" (A.V.).
"Let it remain dark, and not come into light" (LXX).
Here the Hebrew word translated "remain" is qavah, which is translated "wait" in
Job 17: 13 or "look" in Job 30: 26. To wait with expectation, is the meaning of this
Hebrew word.
Job 6: 11. "What is my strength, that I should hope?" (A.V.).
"What is my strength, that I continue" (LXX).
The Hebrew word yachal combines the two thoughts "to wait with hope". It is used of
Noah when he "stayed" for seven days, awaiting deliverance from the deluge, and it is
found eight times in Job, where it is translated "wait", "hope" and "trust". Job 14: 14
which is one of these occurrences, and which is also rendered in the LXX by hupomeno,
is so to the point of our enquiry that we give it separate mention "all the days of my
appointed time, will I wait, till my change come" (A.V.). "I will wait until I exist, or am
made, again" (LXX).